Armed Forces Heroes Who Actually Weren’t

Soldiers who served their country are often held in high regard—many are often appropriately awarded for their bravery both during and after their deaths. It is exactly this sort of prestige that attracts the posers and the users, like moths to a flame. These people aren’t just some random isolated event, there are so many of them but in this article, we’ve selected five of the most deranged folks who pretended to be heroes of war.\r \r 1. Peter Toth\r \r Peter Toth was the definition of the trickster. First he pretended to be American—he was born in Alberta, Canada. Then he claimed that he was an army veteran with high honors—that man never set foot in a battlefield. His lies eventually caught up to him, and Toth was subsequently arrested and charged for his crimes, serving 18 months of probation and 200 hours of community service. Canadian veterans who were sick of his lies all cheered when he was arrested as they saw his scam as a huge sign of disrespect.\r \r 2. Kenneth James French\r \r In 2019, a man by the name of Kenneth James French made the rounds in various newspaper articles as a homeless veteran with a chest full of medals. However, an officer from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and also a war veteran, quickly noticed the discrepancy between French’s alleged dates of service and the actual dates on his medals. The man sounded the alarms, and French, following investigations, was later charged with “Stolen Valor.” French also took advantage of the situation by acquiring food stamps meant for veterans.\r \r 3. Joseph Ellis\r \r Joseph Ellis was a well-respected American professor, as well as the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for his work as a historian and writer for his book “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation.” However, his newly-found fame was short-lived after being ousted by a Boston Globe article which detailed his many lies about having served in the military. Ellis would often speak about his first-hand experience as a paratroop platoon leader in his lessons. For his deceit, Ellis was charged by his academic overseers with one year of suspension from teaching without pay.\r \r 4. Jack Livesey\r \r Jack Livesey was an imposter of the highest order. He made the rounds as a knowledgeable British veteran who advised filmmakers on military depiction excellence, not to mention that he wrote a couple of history literature about his 20-year history as a parachutist. Livesey was even interviewed by BBC for the 25th anniversary honoring of the Falklands War. Okay, so it turns out that he really did work for the British Army… as a cook! Livesey was later exposed as the fraud that he truly was, and he was immediately charged with “perverting the course of justice.” He was also charged with three years of jail and ordered to pay £3,500  in prosecution costs.\r \r 5. Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt\r \r And finally we have Friedrich Wilhhelm Voigt, one of Germany’s most infamous imposters. Before his life as a prestigious officer of the Prussian military, Voigt led a life of theft and forgery, whilst also working as a shoemaker. As “The Captain of Köpenick,” Voigt embarked on one of his biggest heists to the town of Köpenick where he robbed them and made a couple of moves under his bogus authority including detaining the mayor and treasurer. Instead of being mad, the town of Köpenick immortalized Voigt as a folk hero whose statue still stands to this day.